Chapter 183 – The Baron’S Play (10)
184. The Baron’s Play (10)
-Ugh. Ugh… Hngaaat….
I ascend the stairs to the second floor, passing through a scene filled with a sweltering heat.
The stairs were covered in a thick layer of murky-colored fluids, and seeing how it trailed down from above, I could tell that my sister had crawled down on her hands and knees while being penetrated.
What the hell are they doing at a family gathering? …Ah, is this perhaps that relay race?
Anyway, I enter what appears to be the couple’s bedroom and sit on the edge of the bed. Soon, I summon the crystal ball and begin to rotate the camera this way and that.
While searching through the Berkley mansion, I soon locate the middle-aged man who had entered.
He was sitting at a large dining table in the living room, chewing on a soft piece of bread, leisurely savoring it by dipping it in stew. However, he wasn’t alone at the table; several men who appeared to be the Berkley family’s sons and another middle-aged man were staring at him with dumbfounded expressions.
‘I think I heard that the eldest son was slapped by Stella? And the other middle-aged man seems to be the head of the Berkley family.’
While I was thinking this, the meal ended, and the well-shaven head of the family gestured for his sons to leave. Soon, only the two middle-aged men were left in the living room.
“Even though it was just bread and stew, it was quite delicious. Thank you for the meal, Head of the Family. I’ve been rushing for days, so I haven’t had a proper meal. Haha!”
The man, having finished his meal, leans back comfortably in his chair and speaks. The head of the family, after a slight pause, frowns slightly at him.
“Mr. Drente, I was expecting you to come at night! I never imagined you’d come in broad daylight like this… Were you followed?”
“Oh, please… What need is there for me, a lowly baron from the countryside, to be concerned? Besides, I’m not a well-known figure in the Count’s family. Please, don’t worry.”
At Drente’s arrogant words, the head of the family flinched slightly.
So, he was from the Count’s family.
Drente, who had been comfortably patting his stomach, moved to the chair right next to the head of the Berkley family. Soon, he straightened his posture and glared menacingly.
“Now, let’s get down to business, Head of the Family. You’re disguised in commoner’s clothes, but… the number of mercenaries has increased quite a bit. Am I to take that as a sign of agreement?”
“………These mercenaries are necessary for the protection of trade. And the matter you mentioned will depend on the specifics. Let’s hear the conditions first.”
“A significant amount of rights documents, including the vineyard, will be transferred to the Berkley family. Just look at the list written on this paper. Here it is.”
The head of the family took the paper he was handed, checked the contents, and his hands trembled.
“Th-this is… practically the entirety of the barony, isn’t it?”
The honorifics came out naturally.
Drente shrugged his shoulders and made a bombshell statement.
“Well, you will be the new lord of this place. From now on, you will pledge allegiance to the Bourbon Count’s family. Of course, you will outwardly maintain neutrality… Well, you know.”
“U-um.”
‘What the hell.’
Listening to their conversation, I could roughly guess the situation.
The background is this:
Shortly after the incident where Stella’s eldest son was slapped, the Bourbon Count’s family, somehow knowing about it, sent someone to contact this bourgeois family. Judging by the talk of a loss of honor and still making a humiliating marriage alliance, it seems to be correct.
It seems they were subtly provoking them to create a justification within the family.
The deal the Count’s family presented at this meeting was simple. If the Berkley family wiped out the members of the Baron’s family with their disguised mercenaries, they would hand over the territory. Due to squeezing the territory’s people and optimizing expenses, the Baron’s standing army was kept at a very low level. If this succeeded, Bourbon could install the head of the family as a puppet and secure a significant amount of various interests and funds.
A discreet method without friction with surrounding forces.
It was almost impossible to move private soldiers recklessly due to an internal spy of the rival Alton Count’s family. Using external forces like this reduced the risk, so they contacted the Berkley family…
But how can they dictate what happens to an empty territory?
The head of the family seemed to have similar thoughts as me, as he seemed worried about being abandoned at the end.
“But, would I have the justification to rule this place?”
“That’s why the Berkley family has been doing charity work for the territory’s people, isn’t it? The Baron, on the other hand, has been tyrannical. Our people have also been spreading rumors outside, so if something happens, the background will be easily deduced.”
Hearing that, I suddenly remembered what the coachman had said when I came to the barony. He had been saying that it would be better for the Berkley family to rise up and take over than to live being exploited like this.
So, that was it.
Drente took a sip of water nearby and continued.
“Once this ‘rebellion by the territory’s people’ is over, a meeting regarding this territory will be held between us and Alton. With this small rural land, you won’t be able to rise any higher. If a meeting is held, this territory will eventually return to a neutral state after a power struggle. Unless the other side wants an all-out war. Then, the high priests of the church we have recruited will proclaim morality and piety, mentioning your family’s name. Do you understand now?”
“Hmm…”
Seeing the head of the family nod as if he had roughly grasped the picture, Drente sighed silently, ‘This is why those who don’t know politics are like this…’
The head of the family seemed much more deflated than before.
He sighed lowly and spoke candidly.
“Then, as you said, we will begin action in the fall. To think you had prepared so thoroughly. Those who have power… Is all of this Mr. Drente’s idea?”
“I am merely the young lady’s representative.”
“Ah. The one from the rumors… Ah, never mind. Would you like to have dinner with us? With our proud cuisine…”
“It’s alright. I have a long way to go. Then, I’ll be on my way.”
Their conversation ended like that.
……………
……………
I walked down the street with a scrunched-up face, as if I had bitten into something bad.
If things continued like this, the Baron’s family was destined to fall, and all the key figures would meet their deaths.
While in the midst of a power struggle with their rival, they secretly install a puppet without friction.
The foolish Baron’s forces, who are cluelessly testing the waters between the two Count’s families, will be completely cut off.
I remembered what McKellen had said about how disgusting and dirty the nobles were, which was why he had dropped out of the academy.
I had heard from that old man that they were obsessed with expanding their power… If the provinces are like this, how suffocating must the central power struggles be?
I had thought it was something far off, but now that it was related to my own affairs, I could feel it. If I hadn’t come to sleep with Stella, I would never have known about this.
‘Honestly, I don’t care if those guys die… But what did Trisha do to deserve this? I heard she’s very generous to the commoners.’
It would be romantic if the Baroness ran away with me, but… a noble lady is most alluring when she’s a noble lady.
It’s a shame for Berkley and Bourbon, but I can’t let them be destroyed like this.
‘The idea came from the young lady of the Bourbon Count’s family…’
Whoever she is, she’s a truly wicked woman.
But wait a minute.
I could use this situation in reverse.
Having an affair or sleeping with a fiancé… Honestly, it’s a bit boring as revenge. On top of that, there needs to be external pressure threatening their lives to make it a more plausible picture.
I smirked and raised the corners of my mouth.
……………
When I return to my daily routine, I focus on flirting with the Baroness again.
After the sparring incident, the Baroness’s walls had crumbled a lot. Even if I was a bit excited and waited on her, she didn’t particularly stop me. Even when I took the laundry away with a blush, she would just nod without saying anything.
She knows full well that I’m making her panties a mess with my semen, but she always makes sure to put her underwear in the basket.
I could fully understand why she had lowered her walls.
Trisha was afraid that I might get hurt.
She must have linked my isolated environment and my masturbation. After all, the Baroness was the only person I could open my heart to.
It seemed natural that Trisha would develop feelings for me.
Realizing this, she couldn’t help but be more conscious of me than before.
I had looked at her through the crystal ball a while ago, and she was muttering to herself, touching her palm, “For Raul… am I his only… hope?”
With a strange, expectant look in her eyes.
It’s nice to see such cute sides of her, so isn’t it special to try to conquer her while sober?
Of course, Trisha continues to provide me with material for masturbation, and sometimes secretly peeks at my naked body, but she always acts demurely in front of me and doesn’t make any sexual advances. If it were another noble lady, she would have already secretly enjoyed sex with me dozens of times.
Perhaps it’s because her reason keeps winning over her instincts… but at least to me, it didn’t seem like the hurdle was that high.
When I sometimes praise her or tell her stories from outside, she genuinely enjoys it and listens attentively to my stories.
Various stories that she couldn’t have with the polite maids she had always been with.
Then, when it was time to part after talking with me without realizing how time had passed, she would let out a short sigh, “Ah…” and make a lonely expression.
Trisha is a woman whose heart is already severely fractured by loneliness. Just by the fact that she has been letting me approach her step by step, such as providing her with material for masturbation, you can tell. But if she tries to maintain her dignified appearance despite that…
In other words, the Baroness was the type who needed someone to give her a gentle push, like a young girl.
Even a sharp-clawed cat will purr if you slowly approach it and gently stroke the back of its neck. That’s how much it longed for someone else’s touch.
I should check it out.
“Ah, but actually, this was a slang used by adventurers. Originally, it was…”
“Indeed… I see. Hehe. I’ve been a bit tired lately, but it’s fun to hear Raul’s stories.”
I was serving tea to Trisha in the small reception room. The Baroness, still wearing a noble dress that revealed her ample breasts, was having a good time, chuckling at my useless stories.
If she doesn’t relax her face, her smiling expression looks a bit sharp, though.
Anyway, when the atmosphere was ripe, I blushed slightly and tested her.
“Um, Madam…”
“What is it?”
“No, um… If you’ve been feeling tired lately, would you like me to give you a massage…?”
“……………………”
The Baroness, who always covered her mouth with a fan and absolutely refused any physical contact beyond a certain point. Since she always masturbates with herself, it’s hard to think that her intentions would be innocent.
But…
“…I was feeling a bit stiff in my shoulders. Please do.”
“Ah… Yes, yes!”
She answered with a blank face, her eyes slightly shifting. With a very excited face, I approached her from behind as she sat.
“Then…”
“Ugh…”
Since the chair’s backrest wasn’t very high, I could grab her shoulders completely. When I gently touched her with both hands, Trisha flinched cutely.
‘She’s reacting like a natural woman. How cute.’
I chuckled and then slowly began to caress her shoulders, deciding to calmly cook her.
Let’s see where the line is.
